Mythical Qin: I, Gao Yao, will never be a eunuch!

Few people know that Gao Yao secretly built six private docks along the coast and owned thirty ships. When land transport was blocked, his grain was quietly transported by sea to various ports, and then distributed throughout the country via the inland waterway network. This transport route completely bypassed the traditional canal transport system and avoided the blockade by grain merchants.

In mid-December, an unexpected figure found Gao Yao: Wang Wenyuan, the Crown Prince's tutor. This veteran of three reigns and leader of the Qingliu faction, who had always disdained associating with merchants, secretly came to Gao Yao's manor outside the city.

"Chairman Gao, you have some impressive skills." Wang Wenyuan got straight to the point, a complex light flashing in his aged eyes. "You have stirred up a storm in the country with your own strength. I admire you."

Gao Yao respectfully served tea: "You flatter me, Lord Wang. I am merely doing some small business in accordance with the times."

"Small business?" Wang Wenyuan laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile. "If causing seventy percent of the counties to suffer from famine, leaving the imperial court helpless, and causing millions of people to live in fear, is this a small business? What then is a big business?"

Gao Yao remained silent. He knew that Wang Wenyuan must have come with a purpose, but he couldn't fathom the true intentions of this leader of the Qingliu faction.

"I have come today to make a deal with Chairman Gao," Wang Wenyuan said slowly. "The imperial court needs grain and needs to quell the famine as soon as possible. Chairman Gao has enough grain to resolve this crisis."

"What are the conditions?"

“Two conditions.” Wang Wenyuan held up two fingers. “First, grain prices must be restored to pre-war levels, and you cannot profit from them; second, you must relinquish control of all grain, which will be centrally allocated by the Ministry of Revenue.”

Gao Yao smiled, a smile that made Wang Wenyuan's heart sink: "Lord Wang, what if I say no?"

"Then Chairman Gao will become a sinner of the Qing Kingdom, infamous for eternity." Wang Wenyuan's voice turned cold. "Although I am no longer in the court, I still have some influence among scholars. With just one article, I can incite the entire nation's scholars to condemn me. At that time, no matter how much grain Chairman Gao has, he will not escape eternal infamy."

This is a typical tactic of intellectuals: using public opinion to suppress others. Gao Yao, of course, wasn't afraid of being condemned for all time, but he had to consider another problem: Wang Wenyuan's appearance meant that a faction in the court had taken notice of him and had begun to take action. Today it was the leader of the upright officials; tomorrow it might be soldiers arresting him.

When Wang Wenyuan left the Gao residence, it was already dark. The streets of the capital were sparsely lit, with only patrolling soldiers marching in orderly steps across the cobblestone paths. He glanced back at the vermilion gate that had just been closed, a complex and indescribable emotion welling up within him. Gao Yao's composed, even somewhat mocking, face lingered in his mind.

"My lord, shall we return to the palace?" the attendant asked in a low voice.

Wang Wenyuan nodded and boarded the carriage. The wheels rolled over the stone slabs with a dull thud, just like his mood at that moment. As one of Emperor Qing's most trusted ministers, he had seen too many greedy and arrogant people, but he had never seen anyone like Gao Yao, who openly challenged the will of the people and the imperial power on the table.

Inside the Gao family's study, candlelight flickered.

Gao Yao sat alone at his desk, toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand. The ring was entirely green, and he had bought it at a low price from a down-on-his-luck grain merchant years ago. The grain merchant had long since starved to death in last year's famine, but the ring's value had increased dozens of times over.

"Master, Young Master Fan has arrived," the butler whispered from outside the door.

"Please let him in."

The door opened, and Fan Xian, dressed in ordinary clothes, his face bearing the marks of a long journey, yet his eyes remained as sharp as ever. He walked straight to Gao Yao and sat down opposite him, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Boss Gao, you have some impressive skills." Fan Xian put down his teacup, his tone calm. "Even an old fox like Wang Wenyuan couldn't do anything to you."

Gao Yao smiled slightly: "Young Master Fan's feigned death and resurrection is truly a brilliant tactic. To be able to retreat from Beiquan unscathed and then quietly return to the capital under the noses of various forces, I am ashamed to admit that I am not as capable as him."

They exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness and admiration in each other's eyes. They were originally from different paths, but fate had brought them together as temporary allies—at least on the surface.

“Emperor Qing will not let this go easily.” Fan Xian went straight to the point. “By refusing Wang Wenyuan today, you have essentially rejected Emperor Qing’s ultimatum. They will use even more ruthless methods next.”

“I know.” Gao Yao got up and walked to the window, looking at the capital city in the night. “But I also know what Qing Kingdom is lacking most right now. The war in the north is intense, and there are barbarian disturbances in the west. The national treasury is already empty. If a famine breaks out in the capital region at this time, and popular uprisings break out, Qing Kingdom will collapse from within.”

Fan Xian was silent for a moment: "So you had been stockpiling food all along, waiting for this opportunity to release it. You're not saving people, you're creating leverage."

"Is there a difference between saving lives and creating momentum?" Gao Yao turned around, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face. "Those people did get food, and their lives were indeed saved. As for my purpose—Young Master Fan, how many people in this world act purely?"

Fan Xian had to admit that Gao Yao's words, though cold, revealed a certain truth. Wasn't he the same? Fake death to escape, secretly investigating the truth behind his mother Ye Qingmei's death, and collecting evidence of the princes' infighting—behind these actions lay complex calculations.

"You want to monopolize the grain industry in Qing Kingdom and rival the imperial court," Fan Xian said slowly. "But Emperor Qing will not allow it. Even if you compromise temporarily, you will definitely be the first to be settled when the reckoning comes."

Gao Yao laughed, a laugh that carried an unsettling certainty: "Does Young Master Fan think I wouldn't have thought of this? Since I dare to do this, I naturally have my reasons."

He took a ledger from his desk drawer and pushed it in front of Fan Xian. Fan Xian opened it and his pupils contracted slightly—it didn't record the quantity of grain, but rather the names and positions of dozens of officials in the court, as well as detailed records of their dealings with the Gao family business, including bribes received, illegal activities they helped cover up, and even some shady secret transactions.

"Among these people are officials from the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, and even some of the princes' confidants," Gao Yao said calmly. "If I fall from power, these account books will appear in every place they should and can appear. What kind of earthquake will then shake the Qing Kingdom's court?"

Fan Xian closed the ledger and gave Gao Yao a deep look: "You're playing with fire."

“In this world, those who don’t play with fire have long been burned to death.” Gao Yao sat down again and poured himself a cup of tea. “Young Master Fan, although we are cooperating, I advise you—don’t have any illusions about Emperor Qing. In his eyes, everyone is just a pawn. Your mother Ye Qingmei is like that, Chen Pingping is like that, and so are you.”